Not Tomorrow
by Agent Ada Kennedy
Summary: After the final fight against Lord MeiOh, Rikimaru thought he lost Ayame...or was it all just a bad dream? Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tenchu!

**Not Tomorrow**

Rikimaru stared at the shelf that held various items to take along on missions, eyes unfocused, staring at the items but not really seeing them. A messenger from Lord Gohda had come to tell him that he was to go and assassinate some bandits stirring up trouble in a nearby village. He was to leave later tonight.

Sighing, Rikimaru let his eyes focus on his stash of shurikens, pulling out four and inserted them in the pockets of his dark brown shirt and pants. He also pulled a blow gun from the shelf, pushing some of the grenades out of the way. His pile was overflowing, mainly because they were the least used item of his. Ayame was the one who favored them the most and he remembered the times when she would come in and snatch a few from his shelf once she had finished up her pile.

_Ayame._

Rikimaru's hands clenched into a fist. _Lord Mei-Oh, I hope you are suffering wherever you are._ The Lord of Hell had taken away the only person he really truly cared about. The day before they were to face Lord Mei-Oh, both he and Ayame confessed how they felt about each other. And then just like that she was snatched away from him.

Rikimaru grabbed Izayoi from its stand and strapped it to his back. Then he unsheathed the sword, inspecting it quickly, before sheathing it with particular viciousness.

A voice behind Rikimaru made him freeze where he was standing.

"Hey Rikimaru, are you ready yet?" a feminine, slightly impatient, but very familiar voice called to him.

Rikimaru didn't turn around. A whirlwind of emotions swirled in his mind, his spine tingling. It couldn't be...there was no possible way...

"Hello, anyone home?"

Slowly, Rikimaru forced himself to move. There, standing in his doorway, was none other than Ayame. She was dressed as she always was, her silky black hair in that messy ponytail, her black shirt with chain mail protecting her chest, chain mail type gloves covering her hands up a little past her elbow, pants that rode on her hips with slits on the side, her usual small pouch dangling from her belt, and of course, her ever present trademark smirk playing across her lips.

When Rikimaru was finally able to open his mouth, he managed to stutter out two words, being shocked senseless.

"You're...you're..." All techniques of sentence formation fled from Rikimaru's mind.

"I'm, I'm what?"

"Is it really you?"

"Who else could I be?" Ayame said exasperatedly.

"No, it can't be. I saw you...you were dead..."

"What are you talking about? Rikimaru, maybe we should go to the healer's...you're not acting like yourself." Ayame was clearly concerned and she walked towards him and took his large hand in her much smaller, delicate one.

_Maybe she's right. Am I going crazy_?

"But...what happened to that wound in your stomach? Lord Mei-Oh...his sword went right through you, I saw it! And then when I carried you back to the healer's, they said they couldn't feel your pulse-"

"Rikimaru! Relax...see this?" Ayame pointed to a small bandaged area located just above her belt. "That's the wound. It wasn't a big deal. I don't know where you're getting all this stuff about me not having a pulse! I _walked_ with you to the healer!"

Rikimaru took a deep breath as he took Ayame's words in. He hadn't noticed her bandaged waist awhile ago.

"Come on, let's go to the healer's. You're scaring me." Ayame's quiet voice gently brought him back down to reality. She reached up and placed her tiny hands on his shoulders.

"No, I'm fine, I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately. That's probably it." At least he hoped so.

Maybe it was all just a bad dream. Maybe he had fallen asleep without realizing it, and then he had woken up as Ayame had walked into the room. It wouldn't have been the first time that he had a nightmare about the people he cared about being taken away.

Slowly he reached up a hand and held it centimeters from her cheek, as if she were an illusion that would dissolve before him were he to move any faster. His fingertips grazed Ayame's soft cheek lightly, her skin warm and smooth and definitely full of life. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest. His arms dropped down, hands resting on the bare skin of her lower back.

"We better go," Ayame said softly.

Rikimaru reluctantly let her go. Together, they walked towards the window. As they were about to descend, Ayame turned and walked over to Rikimaru's items shelf.

"Another one can't hurt," Ayame said, taking a grenade. Rikimaru chuckled softly, and soon they were dropping down from the last eave of the castle and were running towards the village.

--

Rikimaru and Ayame got back to the castle in the late morning, the bandits taken care of. Right before they went inside, Ayame spoke.

"I feel like taking a bath, I'll meet you inside later, okay?"

"Of course." Ayame smiled and walked towards the path leading to the hot springs in the surrounding forest. Rikimaru watched her until her form disappeared behind the leafy cover of the trees and then went inside.

The princess, who was standing by a tree in one of the small indoor gardens, immediately came towards him.

"Princess. Ayame is just taking a bath in the hot springs, she will be back soon." Kiku immediately regarded him with a strange expression on her face. It almost looked as if she were...disturbed by what he had just said. "Is there something wrong?" Rikimaru asked, his strange golden eyes looking at the princess with alertness.

"Rikimaru, I have to show you something." She walked away from him and looked back briefly, indicating that he was to follow her.

The ninja and the princess slipped out of the castle quietly, weaving through the forests. Eventually they stood before two piles of stones upon a hill. The one on the left looked old, weeds and grass crowding around the base of the tower of stones. The one on the right looked fresh. The dirt on the top was several shades darker than the rest of the ground, and there was no grass. It had obviously only been prepared perhaps two days ago.

In the middle of the dirt lay a withered flower, an iris.

Kiku watched as Rikimaru approached the grave uncertainly.

"Try to remember..." Kiku whispered. Rikimaru seemed to stare at the grave confusedly for a few moments before a look of understanding finally came upon the ninja's face. His head seemed to explode with images from that night, Ayame falling like a limp doll before the gleeful Lord Mei-Oh, blood pouring out in lethal amounts from her abdomen, him sprinting with her towards Gohda Castle after he had hewed the head off the Lord of Hell, the healers saying that she had died instantly and there was no way to revive her, him digging her grave himself right beside the one of Tatsumaru...

Kiku felt her heart wrench as she watched the silvery haired man sink to his knees before the grave of the woman he loved, a single tear falling onto one of the brownish petals of the iris.

**Author's Note:** Wow...when will I ever make a happy piece? I sort of got this idea after playing tons of Silent Hill...this type of thing seems very fitting in the SH atmosphere. But it works pretty well with Tenchu, if I do say so myself! For those of you who are left scratching your heads at what's going on here, basically, Rikimaru's mind made up "Ayame" to replace the real one. He so desperately wanted to believe that she was still alive. There is actually a psychological condition that is similar to this, the brain does something to protect itself from severe trauma or the real truth about something. If anyone has ever read the book "Me and Emma", it's sort of similar to that. In short, Riki has gone somewhat bonkers. But fear not! Deep inside, I am sure he is still the Riki we all know and love.

This piece is dedicated to my dear friend Caladhiel Elensul (who was known as Miyuki Shinomuri before). Happy birthday girl!!!!! Nothing like a suffering Riki and some cake to celebrate another year!!


End file.
